Star Wars Imperials
by hadesgirl015
Summary: "They're not going to come for me. People don't do that." An AU where this statement is true. The Rebel crew never went back to the Star Destroyer to pick up the wayward street-rat orphan. Agent Kallus waits a week before realizing this and trying to figure out what to do with the boy, because he very well couldn't let him back on to the streets. cover by rebel-blueberry
1. Prolog: Left Behind

Star Wars Imperials

Summary: "They're not going to come for me. People don't do that." An AU where this statement is true. The Rebel crew never went back to the Star Destroyer to pick up the wayward street-rat orphan. Agent Kallus waits a week before realizing this and trying to figure out what to do with the boy, because he very well couldn't let him back on to the streets.

Prolog: Left Behind

Ezra was running, nothing new for him. But where he was running was new, he was running on an Imperial Transport. He didn't want to be here, but the polite of the ship he was basically kidnapped on forced him to once she realized the op her crew was on was a trap.

As Ezra was running the Lasat pushed him backwards. Before he could respond in any way, shape or form he was grabbed from behind.

"Let go!" Ezra demanded the Imperial who grabbed him.

"Kid, get outta the way." Zeb said.

"I'm trying!" Ezra responded, trying to struggle out of the firm grasp the Imperail had around his neck.

"Sorry kid." Zeb called.

" _What?_ " Ezra thought.

"You did good." Zeb said.

" _No, please no._ " Ezra begged in his head, his eyes pleading.

The airlock closed with a hiss.

" _They left._ " Ezra thought. _"They left without me. I stick my neck out for them and they abandon me._ "

"Sir," one of the Stormtroopers approached the man holding Ezra. "Explosives were found on the ship. We must return to the Destroyer at once."

"Take the prisoner to the cell block." the Imperial holding said pushing Ezra towards two Stormtroopers and all of them made their way towards the other nearby airlock.

Ezra didn't struggle. Where would he run to anyways?

They made it onto the Star Destroyer right before the transport blew up due to the Rebels who had left Ezra behind.

The Stormtroopers forced Ezra into the cell block and pushed him into a cell before shutting the door behind him. With a sigh Ezra sat on the bench that attached to the bed.

He really thought these guys were different. They helped those people in Tarkintown, but they left him behind. How long would it be until the Imperials let him go? Or would they even let him go?

Meanwhile on the _Ghost._

"No, no, no, no way!" Zeb protested the idea the captain put forth. "You cannot be serious!"

"It's our fault he was there." Hera pointed out.

"Come on Hera!" Zeb yelled. "We just met this kid, we're not going back for him!"

"They'll be waiting for us." Sabine said sadly. "We can't save him."

" _We should go back!"_ Chopper beeped.

Hera smirked.

"What! What did he say?" Zeb demanded.

"He voted with me." Hera said. "That's two against two. Kanan, you have the deciding vote."

Kanan looked out the window into hyperspace. He sighed. "It's too risky. We can't go back. The kid is smart. He'll figure something out."

Hera looked at him disappointedly but continued onwards through hyperspace, never to bring up the topic of the boy again. " _His parents must be worried sick,_ " was her last thought of the kid.

 **I know it's short but it's only the prolog. More to come later.**


	2. Chapter 1: Questions and Escapes

Chapter 1: Questions and Escapes

Ezra sat in his cell for maybe an hour before the guy in charge even bothered to show up.

In walked a man with blonde hair and mutton chops who appeared to be in his late thirties or somewhere close.

" _Seriously mutton chops?_ " Ezra thought. _"What gave you the idea that those were stylish?_ "

"I am Agent Kallus of the Imperial Security Bureau." Mutton-Chops introduced.

 _"_ _Great, and ISB agent."_ Ezra thought sarcastically in his head.

"And you are?" Kallus asked.

"Jabba the Hutt." Ezra replied.

Agent Mutton-Chops did not look pleased.

"Look I just meet those guys today, I don't know anything!" Ezra protested.

"You aren't here for what you know, Jabba." Kallus said. "You are here to be used as bait upon our return to Lothal."

"Bait?" Ezra nearly laughed. "You seriously think…? Wow you're about as bright as a binary droid. They're not going to come for me. People don't do that."

Kallus took a deep breath pushing off the minor insult and leaned in close to the teen, who promptly backed up. He moved to put his hand on the boy's shoulder to offer some comfort, before remembered who the both of them were, and turned it into brushing away some non-existent dust.

Kallus turned and headed out the door. "Search him, and secure him here." he ordered the two Stormtrooper guards, before heading back to the bridge.

Ezra tried to protect his stuff but they took both his backpack full of tools and yogans, his slingshot, and weird cube he pinched from the rebel with the lightsaber, knocking him on the ground in the process.

"Great!" Ezra said sarcastically. "You've got to go warn them Ezra," he mocked the polite who put him in this situation. "And of course I didn't managed to hold onto anything." He sat on the bench hugging his knees. "The one time I try to be nice I get ditched."

He sighed, "Well I guess I'm getting out on my own." He smirked. "And I know just the way to do it."

Ezra went over to the staircase and hid beside it, so the only way someone at the door could see him was if they looked down. He cleared his throat and called to the guards outside his cell, "And you bucket heads are going to be sorry when my uncle, the Emperor, finds out you've been keeping me here against my will! I'm sure that he will…" he broke off into a string of gravely sounding coughs. The doors slid open and the troopers ran down the stairs, only to find the prisoner nowhere in sight.

"Bye guys." Ezra sarcastically saluted as he closed the door, locking the troopers in the very cell they locked him in. "Now if I was a bucket-head, where would I put the prisoner's things?" he asked himself. He found his stuff in the supply closet and grabbed all his stuff. He also grabbed a helmet so he could listen in on the communication line, and also for his collection.

Ezra started his trek through the ventilation shaft.

" _Sir, the prisoner is gone._ " said one trooper of the comm. Probably one of the ones Ezra locked in his cell.

" _What already?_ " Kallus replied. " _I knew the boy would act as bait, but I never thought the Rebels would attack a Star Destroyer._ "

" _Sir, the Rebels didn't free him."_ the poor trooper relayed. " _He got out on his own._ "

" _How does a teenaged old boy get out of holding cell by himself?_ " Kallus asked the trooper.

" _Sir, he tricked us into opening the door._ " the other trooper admitted.

" _Consider yourselves fired troopers._ " Kallus spat." _You don't deserve to be in the Empire if you can be so easily tricked by a thirteen year old boy._ "

"Hey, I'm fourteen!" Ezra protested.

" _He's on the comm network._ " Kallus realized.

"Crap." Ezra muttered. He didn't realize that he was transmitting.

" _Trace that unit's signal!_ " Kallus ordered.

Ezra said something much stronger than crap this time. He had no idea how to turn the transmitter off.

" _Sir,_ " a technician replied. " _He's in the ventilation shaft, right above us_."

"Oh come on." Ezra said. The vent duct he was in was suddenly mildly electrified and a shocked, no pun intended, fell through the duct, causing the helmet to fall off, into the open, full bridge, right in front of his least favorite Imperial, Agent Mutton-Chops.

Kallus grabbed Ezra roughly the arm. "I guess I'm going to have to watch you personally." He started dragging Ezra right back to the detention block.

As they arrived at the holding cell once again Kallus ripped off his backpack and slingshot and shoved them into the arms of a trooper right before he shoved the young teen into the cell.

Ezra punched the wall in frustration.

"I'm never getting out of here." he murmured before curling up into a ball on the floor. "It doesn't matter anyways, no one is going to miss me." Ezra didn't realize when he fell asleep.

When he woke up Ezra's stomach reminded him that he hadn't eaten, since well two days before he ran into those Rebels, and his dry mouth since about two hours before his capture.

Ezra went to the bottom of the stair case to be heard better. "Yo, Mutton-Chops!" Ezra called.

"What, Jabba?" Kallus asked from the other side of the door, ignoring the insults by now.

"Are you guys planning on starving me? Or are you going to give me food?" Ezra asked.

It was about a minute before the door open briefly. Just long enough for a bottle of water to be thrown inside.

"No food yet." Kallus called back.

Ezra picked the bottle off the floor, broke the seal and took a sip of the water, reveling in the wetness it brought to his mouth.

"How long do you plan on keeping me here?" Ezra asked.

"Until the Rebels get caught rescuing you." Kallus replied.

"I told you, yesterday, at least I think it was yesterday, that they aren't coming back!" Ezra called back. He sat down on the bench when he realized he wasn't going to get a response.

Time passed, "How long have I even been in here?" Ezra asked.

"Eighteen hours Jabba, now be quite." Kallus spat back.

" _Be quite eh?_ " Ezra thought to himself." _Well I guess I'll just be more annoying._ "

"Where's the toilet in this cell? I have to use the refresher." Ezra complained. He really did have to go.

"You are a boy, you have a bottle." Kallus said.

"There's still water in it!" Ezra informed. He heard Kallus give an irritated sigh and by end of the minute an empty bottle was thrown in.

"What do I do when it's full?" Ezra asked.

"Just SHUT UP!" Kallus yelled.

"Sheesh." Ezra muttered. "I hope you don't have your own kids."

So the cycle went on that Ezra would get two water bottles per day, and he was be forced to relieve himself in the ones he emptied.

"Seriously it's been what? Six days?" Ezra called.

"For the hundredth time, would you just be quiet?" Kallus asked.

"I'm just saying, you guys haven't fed me once." Ezra pointed out. "I'm wasting away in here with my bottles of urine."

"If I bring you food, would you shut up?" Kallus asked.

"Kind of hard to talk when you're eating." Ezra replied.

Kallus was silent, Ezra was silent. He wasn't sure how much time had passed when Kallus opened the door holding a tray of food. He brought it over the teen who was sitting on the bench.

"Well, it looks like the Rebels aren't coming for you." Kallus said.

"I told you that at least twenty times!" Ezra said taking the tray of food. He wasn't exactly sure what the food was, but at the moment he didn't care. He started stuffing his face.

Kallus gave a disgusted look. "Don't your parents feed you?"

"Kind of hard to feed me when they are dead." Ezra spat, when he came up for a breath of air.

"Oh," Kallus soften slightly. He looked over in the corner where the boy had placed the bottles he was forced to use to relive himself of a natural bodily function. The air smelled of stale urine. Kallus realized how poorly he had treated the kid, even if he was a prisoner he was only here because Kallus refused to release him. "I'm sorry."

"You should be!" the boy spat. "The Empire is the reason their gone."

"So, who do we leave you with?" Kallus asked.

"Are you finally letting me go?" Ezra asked.

"I suppose so." Kallus said. "Where do you live?"

"Nowhere." Ezra said. "You guys took my family away remember? I said so about fifteen seconds ago."

"You live on the streets?" Kallus asked.

"A smart one aren't we? Is that why you are with the Imperial Stupid Buttheads?" Ezra smirked.

Kallus sneered. "Well we can't very well leave you on the streets."

"Of course you can." Ezra said. "That's where I've been for the past seven years."

"I think I will hand you over to a friend of mine. She's been thinking about adopting a child." Kallus mused.

"If she is a part of the Empire, no thank you." Ezra said.

"You don't get a choice, Jabba." Kallus sneered. "Oh she is going to have a hard time with you, but she can handle it."

Ezra glared.

"Finish eating." Kallus said. "We'll be leaving for Capital City in an hour."

"Don't do me any favors Agent Mutton-Chops." Ezra called as Kallus left.

"Jabba, who said anything about any favors?" Kallus replied as the door shut behind him.


	3. Chapter 2 A New Home

Chapter 2: New Home

Ezra sat in the cell on the bench with his arms crossed, the empty tray of food beside him. He was not happy. Yeah he wasn't exactly happy living on the streets, but that didn't mean he wanted to live with an Imperial.

True to his word Agent Kallus came back into the cell an hour later.

"You know," Ezra started, "Just 'cause you take me wherever you are taking me, doesn't mean I'll stay there."

"Oh yes it will." Kallus said. Tapping his foot and pointing the floor in front of him. A silent order to come here. "I'll be checking at least weekly to make sure you are still there and not causing her excessive problems."

Ezra rolled his eyes and stayed planted in his spot.

"Don't make me come down there." Kallus warned.

"I do what I want Agent Mutton-Chops." Ezra said.

"Why must you be so difficult, Jabba?" Kallus asked. He went over to Ezra and picked him up by the armpits before slinging him over his shoulder like a sack of tubers.

"Hey!" Ezra protested. He started to kick the man's chest, and hit his back, shouting protests, but the Imperial wasn't fazed due to the density of his armor. After about a minute the teen just gave up and dead his weight hoping it would affect the man in some way, it unfortunately just made it easier on Kallus.

Agent Kallus carried Ezra to a shuttle which would take them down to the planet's surface. Kallus continued to carry Ezra the same way until the shuttle landed.

"Now, am I going to have to carry you to her house, or are you going to behave yourself?" Kallus asked.

Ezra let out a deep sigh, "Let me down."

Kallus bent down slightly and loosened his hold, allowing the teen to slide to the ground.

"If you even try running on the way there, you will deeply regret it. Understand?" Kallus asked.

"Yeah," Ezra said, not meeting his eyes, still embarrassed about being carried like a sack of vegetables.

Either way, Kallus kept a firm hand around Ezra's arm as he led him through the city to the home of his friend. Ezra kept his eyes on the ground the entire time.

They finally made it to the more upper-class part of the city and Kallus reign the doorbell of one of the houses.

A woman who seemed to be in her early thirties opened the door. She had blonde hair pulled back into a tight bun, and startling bright brown eyes.

"Minister Tua?" Ezra asked shocked.

"Maketh," Kallus said.

"Tiberius," Tua said.

"Tiberius? His first name is 'Agent'." Ezra protested.

"Quite." Kallus ordered.

"What brings you here today?" Tua asked. "And with a teenager no less."

"Well he was a street rat. But we obviously can't leave him out there causing trouble to the Empire and civilians alike." Kallus explained. "You said you were thinking of adopting, well here you go." He gave Ezra a light shove towards the Minister.

"Go inside sweetie." Tua to Ezra, giving him a light pat on the back as he walked in, giving her a look obviously not pleased by being called sweetie.

"He's cheeky and a bit of a trouble maker, but I'm sure you can handle it." Kallus said.

"Thank you." Tua said. "I'll keep an eye on him."

"I'll be checking in every week, to make sure he's behaving." Kallus explained. "I've told him this too."

"What's his name?" Tua asked.

"He told me it was Jabba the Hutt." Kallus said. "Perhaps he'll tell you eventually."

"Well, thank you Tiberius, I'll see you later." Tua said.

"Good luck, Maketh." Kallus said.

"Smell you later Mutton-Chops!" Ezra called from inside.

"You're going to need it." Kallus said. He left the door's entrance and headed back to the shuttle.

Tua closed the door and turned to see the boy standing in the middle of the hall way.

"So, sweetie," Tua started.

"Don't call me that." Ezra cut her off.

"What should I call you then?" Tua asked.

"Nothing, I'm not staying." Ezra said.

"Well where do you plan on going?" Tua asked.

"Nowhere really." Ezra shrugged.

"Then why not stay here?" Tua questioned.

"Because I'm not staying with some Imperial!" Ezra spat.

Tua gave him a hard look, before it melted into a kind smile, trying to show the kid that the Empire wasn't all bad. "I'll show you to your room."

Ezra rolled his eyes but followed. The room was slightly larger than the cell he was in on the Star Destroyer. There was a bed in one corner and a desk in the other. There was a door that most likely led to a refresher beside the desk. There was a window in the far wall. The door Ezra realized was I the third corner and in the last corner was a dresser, most likely empty.

"Well get clothes sometime tomorrow." Tua said.

"Don't bother." Ezra said stepping inside.

"In fact I will bother." Tua said. Ezra spun around to face her. "You can't wear the same clothes all the time. And besides, those clothes look like you've been wearing them for months."

"That's cause I have." Ezra said blatantly

"Why were you living on the streets?" Tua asked.

"Because the _Empire_ took my parents away when I was seven!" Ezra raised his voice, spitting the word 'Empire.'

"You were living on the streets for six years?" Tua asked, thinking the boy was thirteen at most.

"Seven! I'm fourteen!" Ezra corrected angrily.

"I'm sorry sweetie." Tua apologized for getting his age wrong.

"For the love of….." Ezra yelled. "If I tell you my name will you stop calling me that?"

"Alright." Tua agreed.

"My name is Ezra Bridger." Ezra said. "Now if you don't mind, I would like to get some rest."

"Of course, Ezra." Tua agreed, hoping Ezra's attitude would approve if she would comply too some of his wishes. "Supper is at 7." She left the child in his new room.

Ezra sat on the bed. "Don't get comfortable, Ezra." he told himself. "She is just going to ditch you like everyone else. She doesn't care, and why should she? I'm just a dirty street rat orphan."

With a sigh he got up and headed to the refresher, hoping to take a quick shower in before a nap. After all, even though his tower has some water, it was only enough to take a shower every other week, and the day those Rebels kidnapped him only to ditch him he was going to shower later, so he was about a week over due for one.

Thankfully there were already multiple towel sets to use, and while it felt nice to be clean, it didn't help that he instantly got back in his dirty clothes.

Ezra climbed into the bed and started to sleep, it was much more comfortable then the bench in the cell and the bed in his tower. "Well, might as well enjoy it some while it lasts." He snuggled deeper into his sheets. His thoughts went briefly back to Agent Kallus, "Seriously, 'Tiberius'? I would think he would prefer 'Mutton-Chops'." he mused before falling asleep.

Meanwhile Minister Tua sat in the living room, wondering what to do with a young teen who obviously was not happy about being here at all.

"Well, I guess I will just have to my best to make him as comfortable as possible." Tua said to herself.

She got up and started to work on supper for herself and Ezra. "I hope he likes it. Although he's probably not too picky."


	4. Chapter 3: Rules

Chapter 3: Rules

Tua had just finished making supper. She set it on the table before making her way to wake up Ezra. She knocked on the door.

"Ezra?" Tua asked.

"What?" Ezra snapped from the other side.

"Supper is ready." Tua said.

"I don't want any." Ezra said. "I'm not taking anything from Imperials."

Tua sighed, "Are you sure, you must be hungry."

She heard shuffling on the other side of the door before the teen opened the door. He had obviously taken a much needed shower, which Tua gladly noted.

"Follow me." Tua smiled before making her way towards the dining room, Ezra begrudgingly following. She sadly noted how shocked the kid looked at the size of the meal. "Take a seat."

Ezra did so with a sigh. He didn't want to be here. He would rather be in his tower alone, than with the Minister of Lothal, an Imperial, the people responsible for his parent's disappearance.

Tua grabbed Ezra's plate and put some food on it: some wild Loth-Fowl and grain, before setting it back in front of the teen.

Ezra bit his lip, did she poison this or something. He looked over and saw that she was eating it, and she grabbed it from the same plate and bowl, so it had to be safe. He took a tentative bite, and found it to be really good. One of the best things he's had in years. Granted for the past seven, nearly eight, years he's been eating stolen fruit and scraps.

He started to eat it ravenously.

Tua cleared her throat and gave him a pointed look.

He swallowed, and looked down. Ezra waited for her to take the plate away, but she didn't. He started to eat slower and glanced at Tua, she seemed to approve this better. The only reason he really cared about her approval at the moment was because she just gave him free food.

"Now, we need to go over some rules." Tua said.

"Rules?" Ezra asked.

"You will behave yourself in a dignified manner, especially when we are at my office. You will listen to me, and do as you are told." Tua started. "At the office you will address me as minister or ma'am. At home you can address me ass either or Maketh, or Tua. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Ezra said.

"Yes?" Tua asked, waiting for a name or title.

"Yes, ma'am." Ezra muttered.

"You will not wolf down your food, and you will not mutter." Tua continued.

"These are a lot of rules." Ezra pointed out.

"You will not leave the house without telling me where you are going, and you are to go straight there and straight back. And there will be no steal." Tua ignored his interruption.

Ezra sighed. Why did everyone assume he liked to steal? He only did it cause he had to eat.

"You are also to bathe regularly, and I will expect no lip." Tua finished.

"Lip?" Ezra asked.

"Sassy back talk." Tua explained. "Do you understand all these rules."

"Yes ma'am." Ezra said, looking back at his food, suddenly not as hungry.

"Lastly, if you have any problems, you are to come to either me, or Agent Kallus." Tua said. "We're here for you."

"All Agent Muttonchops is interested in is keeping me out of his way. That's the reason he stuck me here, he didn't want me bothering him or anyone else on the streets." Ezra said.

"First of all, no lip." Tua reprimanded. "Second, if you get to know Agent Kallus, you will learn that he is not so bad a guy. And lastly don't call him that. It is rude and inapproiate."

"So is his weird beard." Ezra muttered.

"No muttering." Tua said, turning back to her own meal.

"And if I break these rules?" Ezra questioned.

"You will be punished accordingly." Tua answered.

Ezra paled. He knew punishments could be bad. Some kids were on the streets, because they ran away from home since their parents punished them by hitting them, or abusing them. Tua however did not see her new charge's paling face.

Ezra looked back at his plate, his appetite was defiantly gone now.

Tua noticed, that Ezra only ate about half his meal, "Aren't you going to finish."

"I'm not hungry." Ezra said softly.

"Do you wish to return to your room?" Tua asked.

"Yes ma'am." Ezra answered, choosing to be polite as possible to not invite punishment.

"Well, go on back to your room then. We'll get you some more clothes and other items tomorrow." Tua said.

"Yes ma'am." Ezra said, walked to his room and climbed into bed.

Tua sat at the table. "Perhaps I was too hard on the boy. He's not used to all these rules." the Minister of Lothal mused to herself. "Perhaps I will accept some lip and muttering, he is a teenager after all. But he defiantly needs to respect others."

She sighed. "I guess I did seem a little cold while laying down the rules. If I want him to warm up to me I'll have to be nicer and warmer." She finished her meal and put the leftover food away.

Tua lightly knocked on Ezra's door before opening slightly. "Ezra?"

The boy didn't answer, for he was fast asleep.

"I'll see you in the morning Ezra." Tua said softly, as to not disturb him.

She went into her home office and worked on some paper work for some bit before heading to bed herself.

Having a teenage child was defiantly going to be interesting.

 **With their supper, wild Loth-fowl and grain, think chicken and rice.**


	5. Chapter 4: Shopping Troubles

Chapter 4: Shopping Trouble

Ezra was woken up the next morning by the sound of what seemed to be pots and pans. This confused him greatly, as seeing he's used to being the only one around. The next thing that he realized and confused him as well was that he was in a bed, an actual bed not the thin cot in his tower. He sat up in the bed and looked around. He didn't recognize where he was at first, then it all came flooding back. The rebels, being abandon on the Star Destroyer, being forced to live with the Minister of Lothal, Maketh Tua.

He carefully climbed out of bed and headed down the hall to where he remembered the kitchen was from yesterday.

"Good morning, Ezra." Tua said from the stove, she was cooking something.

"Good morning minister." Ezra returned.

"How do you like you eggs?" Tua asked.

"Um," Ezra said. He would have answered 'cooked,' but he figured that would be 'lip' and didn't want to start the morning off with a beating. He hadn't had eggs in over eight years. "Whatever is fine I guess," before clamping his mouth shut, for fear that even this could be considered lip or muttering or really anything would result in punishment.

"Over easy okay then?" Tua asked.

"Yes ma'am." Ezra answered.

"Well, breakfast is almost ready, would you get the juice from the fridge?" Tua requested.

Ezra walked over to the fridge, taking a moment to marvel at how full it was.

"Well don't just stand there with the door open." Tua reprimanded. "You're letting all the cool air out."

"Sorry ma'am." Ezra apologized. "You just have a lot of food." He quickly grabbed the juice and carried it towards the table.

Tua momentarily paused at the statement. Yes Kallus had said the boy lived on the streets, but she didn't think that it was so bad that he would marvel at the half filled fridge.

Tua set the food onto two plates and carried them over to the table. She sat down in front of one, so Ezra sat in front of the other.

"Thank you ma'am." Ezra said.

'What's with all the ma'ams," Tua wondered to herself. 'Is it because I was too hard last night?'

"You don't have to call me ma'am all the time you know." Tua said.

Ezra looked up from his plate. He quickly swallowed what food he had in his mouth. "Okay,"

They continued to eat in silence. "The food is good." Ezra complimented.

"Thank you." Tua replied.

After they were both done Ezra quickly grabbed all the dishes and headed over to the sink to start washing them.

"I'll do that Ezra." Tua said. "You go get ready to go shopping."

"Shopping?" Ezra asked.

"I told you last night, we need to get you some clothes." Tua answered.

"Oh, okay." Ezra said, he figured it'd be best not to argue about this. This was nothing worth getting punished over for arguing.

He headed back towards his room and cleaned up in the bathroom. After he finished he returned to the kitchen where Tua was just finishing up.

"Ready to go?" she asked

"Yeah I guess." Ezra replied.

Tua grabbed her purse and led Ezra outside and down the street.

Tua kept checking to her side to make sure the teen was still there as she walked to the part of the market that sold clothes.

"Here we are," Tua said. She led Ezra to the stand.

"Get lost," the vendor glared.

"Excuse me?" Tua asked.

"Not you Minister," the vendor apologized. "I'm talking to the street rat."

Tua glanced at Ezra, who seemed to be on edge. Looking down at his feet she could tell that the teen was ready to bolt at any given moment.

"You will not speak to my new charge that way." Tua demanded.

The vendor was shocked, but not so much as Ezra was. She was defending him?

"Charge?" the vendor asked timidly.

"That's right." Tua said.

"Of course. May I help you Minister?" the vendor asked.

"He needs some clothes," Tua informed motioning to Ezra.

"Of course, what size is he?" the vendor asked.

Tua gave Ezra a questioning look. It took Ezra a moment to realize that she was expecting him to answer. "Oh, um, I don't really know."

Tua sighed, turning to the vendor she asked, "Let me see a medium." The vendor handed her a shirt and she held it up to Ezra. "Hold out your arms." Ezra did so. "Hm, this size will probably work. And if they are a little big you'll grow into them,"

Tua started looking through the different styles and colors of the proper sized shirts, while Ezra let his eyes wander.

His eyes eventually landed on a small family, a mom, a dad and a little boy, about six years old. They were walking down the street, the father carrying a few bags while the mother carried the child on her back, giving him a piggy back. A few tears came to Ezra's eyes, remembering doing the same a few times a month with his parents, before they were taken.

"What color do you like?" Tua asked.

"What?" Ezra asked, turning back to her, he of course hadn't been paying attention.

"What color do you like best?" Tua asked.

"Orange is okay I guess." Ezra said.

"Is something wrong? Tua asked noticing the tears.

"No, I'm fine." Ezra lied, rubbing the tears from his eyes.

"Well okay, we'll get a few orange shirts. What about this green one, it will bring out your hair and eyes?" Tua asked.

Ezra glanced at the shirt and glared at it. It looked just like the one the leader of the rebels wore, the leader of the people who abandoned him for no reason. "No,"

"No?" Tua asked.

"I don't like it." Ezra answered.

"Why not? I think it would look good on you." Tua said, holding it up against him.

"I don't care!" Ezra shouted, pushing it away. "I hate it."

Tua gave a surprised look before giving him a stern glare.

'Oh no.' Ezra thought.

"We'll talk about this outburst when we get back home young man." Tua said.

'Oh kriff, I'm dead.' Ezra thought in a panic. 'I'm going to get it now. After trying so hard to avoid getting punished and abused I just piss her off on the first morning.'

Tua set aside a few pairs of shirts before looking through the pants, picking up a few pairs that would probably fit him.

"I'll adjust them if we need." Tua said. "I'll get these," setting the pants on the shirts.

The vendor told her the total, which seemed a little low to Ezra, but he figured that the vendor was probably making up to the Minister for earlier.

'If only I could do the same.' Ezra thought looking Tua.

Walking back to the house was pure torture for Ezra, knowing that once they arrived the mental torture could turn physical. When they arrived Tua set the bags of clothes on the table and turned towards Ezra.

'Well, this is it.' Ezra thought.


	6. Chapter 5: Punishment

Chapter 5: Punishment

Tua and Ezra had a mini stare down, Tua glaring down disappointment and slight anger, and Ezra returning fear. His gaze dropped.

He heard Tua take a deep breath letting it out in a sigh before the sound of a chair being pulled out from the table and saw her feet head towards the living room before the sound of the chair being set down.

"Sit." Tua commanded, pointing at the chair facing the corner.

Ezra didn't verbally respond, but did as she asked. He walked to the chair and sat down facing the corner. He heard her footsteps retreat from the room.

'She's probably getting the stuff to punish me with.' Ezra thought. 'It's the first time, she has to go easy on me. Doesn't she.'

Ezra continued to sit, facing the corner, alone with only his tortuous thoughts for company. 'I'd probably be better off on the streets. Hell, I'd probably be better off in that Star Destroyer Cell with Agent Muttonchops.' He thought. 'All this because I said I didn't like the shirt that reminded me of the person whose fault it was that I am in this situation in the first place.'

Time dragged on. 'Why is she taking so long? What exactly is she getting?' Ezra thought. 'It must be pretty big, and will hurt a lot.'

Ezra wasn't sure how much time had passed when Tua's voice broke the silence.

"Ezra come here." she demanded from the other side of the room.

Ezra obeyed and walked over to her, his head hung low.

"Do you know why you sat in the corner?" Tua asked.

"To have me wait for my punishment." Ezra answered.

"To, to wait for your punishment?" Tua asked confused.

"You're going to hit me or something aren't you?" Ezra asked, managing to raise his eyes. He was surprised to see that Tua had a shocked look on her face.

"Ezra," Tua started, she set her hands on his shoulders, causing him to flinch. "I would never hurt a child."

"What?" Ezra asked, now his turn to be confused.

"Sitting in the corner was your punishment." Tua replied.

Ezra vaguely remembered receiving the occasional time-out when he was younger.

"So, when you said punished, you meant timeout?" Ezra asked incredulously.

"Depending on the severity of the offence it may be grounding but yes." Tua said.

Ezra let out a small laugh. "Here I thought you were going to kill me."

Tua sighed, "Child abuse is a very serious matter, why would you ever think that I would hurt you?"

"Well, there were a few runaways on the streets. They ran away 'cause when they were punished their parents beat the shit out of them." Ezra explained.

"Child abuse is illegal in the Empire, especially on Lothal." Tua explained.

"Oh," Ezra said.

"Back to the beginning," Tua sighed. "Do you know why I sent you to time-out for half an hour?"

"Because of my outburst at the market." Ezra guessed.

Tua nodded. "I would have greatly appreciated it if you explained in a more level headed manor as to why you did not want the shirt."

"It looked like the one the leader of the guys who left me behind wore." Ezra explained calmly, crossing his arms.

"That's all you had to say." Tua said. "I expect you to not have another outburst like that, especially not in public."

"Yes ma'am." Ezra promised.

"Otherwise the time-out may be longer." Tua threatened.

"I understand." Ezra replied.

"Good." Tua said.

She let out a sigh.

"Do you like caff?" Tua asked.

"I've never really had it before." Ezra said.

"Well, if we have a better understanding of one another, we might have less issues like this occur in the future." Tua explained. "Let's go to the caff shop."

"Okay," Ezra shrugged.

They left the house for a second time that day.

 **Well yeah it's a bit shorter than normal, but this was just to end the cliff hanger, and it was just updated last night so yeah, you can deal with a shorter one if it means ending the cliff hanger.**

 **You're Finding Things that You Didn't Know will be next.**

 **P.S. (really a lot of you thought that I would be that evil and have Tua actually abuse Ezra? Whoa, wonderful to know what your opinion of me is.**


	7. Chapter 6: Caff Shop

Chapter 6: Caff Shop

Ezra followed a few steps behind Tua as she led him towards the caff shop. Her idea of 'bonding.' Ezra had no intention of bonding with an Imperial, but he figured, he might as well let her in a little, if it would make things easier. After all, he just had a timeout, yes he was 14 and just had a timeout, because she did not understand why he had an outburst at the vendor.

Ezra pulled lightly at the collar of his shirt. It was a bit uncomfortable. He was so used to his jumpsuit, but Tua made him change into one of the outfits she had bought him about a hour ago.

"Do keep up Ezra." Tua said glancing over her shoulder.

Ezra quickened his pace a little, rolling his eyes, making sure Tua wasn't looking when he did so though.

As they were walking Ezra glanced over at an alleyway, and saw a few troopers terrorizing a homeless person. He stopped in his tracks, for he recognized the man, they helped each other out of some tight situations before.

*Flash back*

Ezra was eight years old at the time. He had been on the streets for nearly a year now. He was looking for anywhere to get food. He went up to a vendor and tried to snatch a yogan, when the merchant caught his wrist.

"So the little street rat wants so food?" the merchant asked with a fake sweet voice.

Ezra naively nodded.

"Then how about I cut off your hand and you can eat that?" the merchant asked, pulling out a knife.

Ezra's eyes widened and he tried to pull away.

"There you are!" a voice called out.

The merchant and Ezra both looked over at the approaching man. He seemed to be in his mid to late twenties, he had shockingly red hair and bright green eyes.

"Young man I've been looking everywhere for you." the mysterious man said. Ezra took in his appearance quickly. Although his outfit was a bit nicer, Ezra could see the fine layer of dust and dirt and the small patches of grim. This man was homeless too.

"I'm sorry." Ezra said, somewhat confused.

"You better be." the man replied.

"You know him?" the merchant asked.

"He's my son, who seems to have a habit of running off." the man said.

The merchant studied him and Ezra, trying to add things up, like, how the mystery man didn't look at all like me. "Well, he does take after his mother." The mystery man said softly.

Ezra saw where this was going. The man was claiming to be his father to get him out of this situation. Giving an excuse as to why he didn't look like him claiming he looked like his mom, and also adding in the sob story that his mom ran off. Clever.

"I'm sorry." the merchant apologized, releasing my wrist. Ezra ran and hid behind the man, hoping to add to the part. "Keep a better eye on your kid."

"Trust me, I will." the man said.

He led me off into an alley way.

"Thanks," Ezra said.

"No problem kid." the man said. "What's your name?"

"Ezra," Ezra relied.

"I'm Jym," the man replied. "How long have you been on the streets?"

"About a year. I'm eight years old." Ezra answered.

"What happened to your parents?" Jym asked.

"The Imperials took them." Ezra said.

"I'm sorry." Jym sympathized. "When was the last time you ate?"

"Three days ago." Ezra answered.

"Here," Jym said, pulling a fruit from his bag.

"But Jym, that's your food. You're homeless too, aren't you?" Ezra asked.

"Yeah, I am, but I ate last night." Jym replied. "You need this more than I do."

Ezra hesitated, but took the fruit. "Thanks."

"You owe me one kid." Jym said.

*End Flashback*

Over the years Ezra helped Jym, and Jym helped him.

"Ezra," Tua reprimanded.

"Are you just going to let those troopers harass that man?" Ezra asked.

"They are just doing their jobs." Tua replied.

"But they're just harassing him because he's homeless." Ezra argued.

"It's not our place to do anything about it." Tua said, she turned to continue towards the caff shop.

"Two weeks ago that was me." Ezra reminded.

Tua stopped and sighed. "What do you plan on doing?"

Ezra smirked, and headed off towards Jym.

"Dad, there you are!" Ezra called. "Mom's been wondering where you were."

"Oh, sorry son." Jym instantly joined the act.

"You didn't come home last night. Did you get drunk and pass out in an alley again?" Ezra asked.

"It would seem so." Jym replied, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I'm sorry sir," Ezra apologized to the trooper. "If you don't mind, I'll take my father home now."

"Move along." the trooper said.

"Come on dad." Ezra told Jym. Jym followed Ezra to where Tua was standing.

"The Minister?" Jym asked.

"Yeah, some ISB agent caught me and didn't want me messing with anyone on the streets, so he basically put me on house arrest with her as my warden." Ezra said.

Tua was about to protest when Ezra added, "Come on you know that's basically what happened."

"Well Ezra," Jym said. "It looks like I owe you know. Thanks again."

"Just stay out of trouble Jym." Ezra waved as Jym walked off.

Tua sighed, "Are you quite done?"

"Yes ma'am." Ezra said.

"Alright, come on." Tua said, as they continued to make their way towards the caff shop.

"Hello, may I take your order?" the barista asked once they arrived.

"I'll take a tall ice decaf caramel mocha please." Tua ordered.

"Is that all?" the barista asked.

"What do you want?" Tua asked.

Ezra looked up at the board. It was all so confusing, plus his reading skills were a little under par. "Um,"

"How about an ice dark chocolate mocha?" Tua suggested.

Ezra shrugged, "I guess."

"And a tall ice dark chocolate mocha." Tua ordered.

"Alright, that will be ten credits." the barista said. Tua handed over the money. "Thank you, we will have those out to you shortly."

"Let's find a table." Tua suggested.

"Alright." Ezra agreed.

After they sat down Tua started asking questions, which Ezra did not fully enjoy.

"So, you seemed really confused while looking at the board." Tua brought up.

Ezra shrugged. "I can't read that well."

"Why not?" Tua asked.

"Give me a break, my parents were taken away when I was seven." Ezra remarked. "Can't really get good schooling on the streets." After he said that he hoped he didn't go too overboard on the sass. He did not want another half hour maybe more time out—that was just annoying.

"Point taken." Tua muttered. "We'll have to change that."

Ezra stiffened, "You aren't sending me to school are you?"

"No, I can teach you myself." Tua replied.

Ezra let out a sigh of relief.

The drinks arrived, "Thanks." Tua said.

"Um, yeah thanks." Ezra said, figuring that Tua would expect it.

Tua took a long sip of her caff. "That hits the spot."

Ezra tentatively took a sip of the drink Tua had ordered for him and found it to be really good.

"Now, a few other things that should probably be discussed." Tua stated. "Do you have any allergies?"

"No." Ezra answered.

"Alright, and you're fourteen right?" Tua asked.

"Yeah," Ezra replied.

"When's your birthday?" Tua asked.

Ezra took a long sip to avoid answering, so long in fact, he got a pain in his head. "Oh," he said, putting his hand to his head.

"Brain freeze?" Tua smiled.

"I guess." Ezra muttered as he waited for the pain to disperse.

Tua saw that Ezra clearly wasn't going to answer so she just moved on.

"So, what did happen to your parents?" Tua asked once Ezra recovered from his brain freeze.

"I don't really see how that is any of your business." Ezra replied.

Tua gave him a careful glance.

"Well I'm sorry Minister." Ezra said, somewhat sarcastically. "But you must be at least on level 4 of my trust tier to unlock my tragic back story."

"Alright, and where am I now?" Tua asked, playing along with the troubled teen.

"Like everyone else." Ezra smirked, "One."


	8. Chapter 7: Nightmare

Chapter 7: Nightmare

Ezra had fallen asleep about three hours ago. It had been just a few days since he was forcibly put under the watch and care of the Minister of Lothal, Maketh Tua. So far the Minister had not made any progress with getting personal information on him.

He was peacefully sleeping until his dream changed into one of his worse memories.

 _Ezra had just turned eleven years old a few days ago. He was walking down the side of the street when he made the mistake of turning into the wrong alleyway._

 _"_ _Hey, what does this kid think he's doing on our turf?" a human man asked. He had a very evil glint in his eyes._

 _He realized he had accidently stumbled upon a gang's ground. Ezra tried to back away but a large Mirialan had blocked his way._

 _"_ _Um, I'm sorry. I made a wrong turn." Ezra stuttered._

 _"_ _You got that right kid." the human said, coming closer to Ezra._

 _Ezra tried to run for it, but the Mirialan had grabbed him around the middle—an easy feat with how skinny the child was—keeping him from running as the rest of the gang closed in._

 _"_ _No, please, I'm sorry." Ezra begged. "It won't happen again, I swear!"_

 _"_ _You damn right it won't." the man said. He took out a vibroknife and held it to Ezra's leg. "Cause after this, you won't be walking."_

 _He jabbed the knife into Ezra's right shin. The child screamed out in pain. He tried to get away from the offending weapon, but only succeeded in making the gang member drag the knife down his shin._

 _The Mirialan dropped Ezra, who collapsed to the ground. The child was gasping for breath and sobbing in pain._

 _"_ _Well we won't be having any more problems with him." the Mirialan laughed. The other members of the gang walked out of the alley, leaving Ezra to bleed all over the ground._

Ezra woke up gasping and screaming, his arms were pinned to his side as he was held to someone's chest. This inadvertently made his panic worse. Suddenly he was back in the alleyway, his arms pinned as his leg was getting sliced. In fact he was getting phantom pains at that moment.

"No, no please." Ezra begged. "I'm sorry. Please no!"

"Ezra, calm down." the person who was holding him said.

"Please, I'm sorry." Ezra pleaded. "Let me go."

"It's alright, it was just a nightmare." the person soothed. "Just take deep breaths, you're alright."

Ezra took deep breaths and took in his surroundings. He was in a bed, in a room in a house. The Minister's house. It was Minister's arms that were wrapped around him.

"That's it." Tua soothed. "You're alright."

"Sorry," Ezra muttered.

"It's alright," Tua said gently, she moved to run a hand through his hair. As much as Ezra enjoyed it, he didn't want it from her, so he shirked away from her hand.

Tua sighed and released him from her hold.

"That must have been a really bad nightmare." Tua mentioned.

"Yeah," Ezra sighed.

"Are you going to be able to fall back asleep alright?" Tua asked.

Ezra shrugged.

Tua gave a light sigh, "Come on, let's get you a warm drink."

"I don't want to be a bother." Ezra declined.

"It's no problem. Come on, it will help the both of us get back to sleep." Tua said.

Ezra followed her to the kitchen where Tua made some warm milk.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Tua asked, handing Ezra his mug.

Ezra bit his lip for a moment, before sighing.

"It was a bad memory." Ezra started. "I was eleven, and had stumbled upon the wrong alleyway." He let the warmth of the mug seep into his hands, offering some comfort. "The local gang called that alleyway part of their turf, so I wasn't welcomed. One of them pinned me down, while the other took a vibroknife and sliced my shin up pretty bad."

Tua gasped.

"That's why I was freaking out when you were pinning me when you woke me up. It reminded me of the time in the alley." Ezra explained. "After they did that they left me for dead. I was able to crawl away after an hour. I did my best to stop the bleed in dress the cut, but it's hard to find that stuff on the street." Ezra took a sip of his milk. "After a day or two Jym found me. You remember Jym from a few days ago?"

"Yes," Tua replied.

"Well, he saw I was in bad shape. The cut was inflamed had puss and I had a fever. He took me to a doctor who would occasionally take pity on the less fortunate in extreme cases." Ezra expounded. "He looked at my leg and declared it to be infected beyond healing."

"So what did they do?" Tua asked. "You obviously recovered."

"He amputated my leg." Ezra replied. He lifted the offending leg setting the foot on the edge of his chair and rolled up the pant leg, showing the cybernetic limb. "He amputated it right above the knee. He was nice enough to modify it several times to lengthen it as I grew."

Tua's face was covered with shock. The stuff the teen in front of her had been through was something that no one should have to go through. "Does it still hurt?"

"I get phantom pains along the shin where I was cut. Then it's a bit uncomfortable when the metal meets the skin. There wasn't much the doctor could do to make it a great cybernetic because I couldn't pay for it." Ezra answered. "But it was functional, and that's all that matters on the streets."

Tua sighed. "We're going to have to get you a better one."

"This one is fine for now," Ezra protested. "But thanks."

"Okay, here's the deal." Tua said. "You'll keep that one until you out grow it. Then I'm getting you a new one that is better made."

"Alright," Ezra conceded. He took another drink of his milk. "I'm sorry I woke you up."

"It's not your fault Ezra." Tua comforted. "It's not like you can help having a nightmare."

Ezra gave a small smile before finishing off his drink. "Thank you for the milk."

"Are you going to be alright for the rest of this night?" Tua asked.

"Yeah, I should be fine." Ezra said. "Thanks,"

"I'll see you in the morning." Tua replied.

"Yeah, see ya." Ezra bid the Minister good night, as he headed back to his room to get back to bed.

As he laid in bed, he subconsciously rubbed the point where the skin meet metal.

"Congratulations Minster." Ezra muttered to himself. "Welcome to tier two."


	9. Chapter 8: Minor Trouble

Chapter 8: Minor Trouble

Ezra was awoken from his sleep by a knock on the door.

"Time to wake up." he heard Tua's voice on the otherside of the door.

"It's so early though." Ezra groaned. "It's only," he glanced at the clock, "6:45."

"I know but I have to be at the office at 7:30." Tua said. "And you can't stay here by yourself."

Ezra let out a deep sigh before getting out of bed and started to get ready.

He was really glad that all his pants were long enough to cover his whole legs. He didn't exactly want to flash around his cybernetic.

After he finished getting dressed Tua meet him in the hallway.

"Ready to go?" Tua asked.

"What about breakfast?" Ezra asked.

"We are late enough as it is." Tua responded, handing him a bagel. "You can eat on the way or when we get there."

Ezra held onto the bagel as he followed closely behind the Minister of Lothal as she hurried down the street towards her office.

"Minister, here is all the paper work that needs to be done today." the Minister's assistant said as Tua and Ezra walked into the office. She handed Tua a stack of datapads.

"Thank you." Tua said as she walked towards her desk and took her seat. "Ezra you can sit in that chair by the corner."

"Okay ma'am." Ezra responded, layering on the politeness since they were at her workplace.

He sat down and started to eat his bagel. He glanced out the window as he did.

"Here," Tua spoke, handing Ezra a datapad.

Ezra took it with a questioning look.

"It's a classic children's novel." Tua explained. "About the reading level of a ten year old, so you should be able to handle it to help improve your reading skills."

Ezra made a face, which Tua didn't notice as she was busy starting her work.

"If you have trouble with a word or don't know what it means you can ask." Tua finished.

Ezra sighed and looked at the words on the screen. "Bfg? Is that even a word?"

Tua sighed, "It's an acronym B.F.G. It stands for Big Friendly Giant."

"Oh," Ezra stated before he started reading the story. Pausing every so often to ask Tua about a word, which she answered any questions.

There was a buzz signaling someone was at the door.

"Come in," Tua said, barely looking up.

The door opened and in walked two Imperial officers. Ezra unfortunately recognized them. These two particular officers really didn't like him. He just hoped they wouldn't notice him.

"Aresko and Grint, what brings you here?" Tua asked.

"The weekly report, Minister." Aresko answered.

"Ok then," Tua replied. "Get on with it."

"Over the past week, the theft rate has gone down." Aresko started.

"One of the local street rats seems to have gone missing." Grint laughed.

Ezra growled in his seat, unfortunately, that drew their attention.

"Why, that's the street rat." Aresko declared with shock. "What's he doing in your office? Is he trying to steal something?" His hand went to his blaster.

"Enough," Tua snapped. "I will not have you insulting my new charge."

"New charge?" Aresko asked in shock.

"Ezra is under my care now. I will not have you insinuating he's up to no good." Tua snapped. "Now finish your report then get out."

"Right," Aresko muttered. They nervously finished their report before shuffling out.

Thanks," Ezra murmured after the Aresko and Grint left. "For defending me."

"I guess it's sort of my in my job description of being your care giver." Tua smiled.

Ezra smiled in return before returning to his story.

After about another hour Tua sighed and turned in her chair towards him.

"You up for lunch?" Tua asked.

"Yeah," Ezra replied, handing over the datapad.

"Come on, I know a good place." Tua smiled.

Ezra followed the Minister out of her office and they started to walk down the street to head wherever it was she was taking them.

They stopped at a diner. Ezra recognized the place. "Here we are." Tua said. She entered the building, Ezra following behind her.

"Hello Minister," the waitress greeted. "Table for," she looked behind Tua and spotted Ezra, who was half hiding behind her. "Two?"

"Yes, thank you." Tua replied.

The waitress led them over to a table and set a menu in front of them both.

Ezra scanned over the menu, sounding out several of words in his head.

"Do you know what you want?" the waitress came by. "Can I get you something to drink?"

"I'll have Meiloorun tea." Tua ordered.

"And for you?"the waitress asked Ezra.

"Um, lemonade?" Ezra asked.

"Okay," the waitress answered. "Are you ready to order or should I come back."

"I think we need more time." Tua answered.

Ezra continued to study the menu.

"Do you know what you want?" Tua asked.

"No Ma'am." Ezra answered.

"How about a bantha burger?" Tua suggested.

"Okay," Ezra conceded.

The waitress came back soon and took their orders.

"Were you able to read the menu alright?" Tua asked after the waitress left.

"Some words were a bit hard." Ezra admitted. "But I guess I managed."

"Well I guess that means you're improving." Tua smiled.

"Yeah I guess." Ezra replied.

"Is something bothering you?" Tua asked.

"Just memories." Ezra answered. "That's all."

"May I ask?" Tua asked.

Ezra sighed. "My parents used to take me here."

"Whatever happened to them?" Tua asked.

"I don't feel like talking about it." Ezra replied with a light glare. There was an punctured silence that stayed even as they ate.

"Well, we need to head back to the office." Tua lightly spoke, setting some credits for the bill on the table.

"Alright," Ezra responded.

Back in the office Ezra just sat quietly in the corner reading the story until it was time to go home.


End file.
